Some might call it a comic book, but trendier types call it a “graphic novel.” It could be the wave of the future. Or just a flash in the pan.

Chef/author Amanda Cohen, who owns the lower East village restaurant Dirt Candy — meaning sweet stuff that grows in soil, the same as the book title — feels that this cartoon-type format is more accessible to cooks.

“There’s never been a cookbook like this, Japanese-style artwork, food and cooking techniques interspersed in the story. I didn’t want it too serious. I wanted it to be energetic. And I wanted to capture the style of the restaurant. I thought there was room for improvement over traditional cookbooks and I wanted to break out. I felt that this was a less confusing improvement.”

“We appeal to all ages,” Cohen says of the book she wrote with Ryan Dunlavey and husband Grady Hendrix. “Vegetarians, yes. Graphic novel lovers, we appeal to that demographic. Food-lovers, foodies, who love reading the story of a restaurant. They’ve never read a cookbook from cover to cover.”

At the restaurant on Manhattan’s Lower East Village, Ms. Cohen says she doesn’t flavor her food with lots of seasonings.

“We’re not afraid of fat, but we also like to pump up the flavor with the vegetables themselves. Instead of putting diced carrots into our carrot risotto, we turn carrot juice into a sauce, we build up layers of flavor with carrot dumplings and a garnish of crunchy carrot ribbons.”

Grapefruit is candied and becomes grapefruit pops.

“They’re pretty amusing, crunchy on the outside, with bright exploding flavor on the inside.”

The book also captures the behind-the-scenes drama in the kitchen.

“All stories are true; they happen to be funny as well. Plus I feel it’s important to tell our life with humor. If I’m not laughing I’m crying. Cooking is fun. And our attitude toward cooking is just vegetables without a lot of associations. Not hippie or health food. No political or environmental agenda. We’re just a restaurant. We cook vegetables that are delicious and have been seriously overlooked nearly forever. I hope we communicate that.”

Ms. Cohen admits she is no longer a vegetarian. “One day, I decided it would make me a better chef to taste the protein on the plate.”

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Grapefruit Pops

Makes 10 pops

1 large grapefruit

3 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

Peel grapefruit; separate into individual segments.

Push skewers through bottom of grapefruit segments until about halfway in

Put sugar and 1/2 cup water into a heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat. Cover; cook until syrup is 275 to 300 degrees (covered to steam). It takes about 20 minutes to dissolve and form syrup. Do not stir during this process.

Page 2 of 3 - Dip skewered grapefruit pieces into hot syrup one at a time, coating each piece thoroughly. Be sure grapefruit isn’t too wet or the sugar won’t stick. Be really careful.

Stick skewers into a piece of Styrofoam; let the grapefruit stand and dry until a hard shell forms. Use immediately. They keep only for a couple of hours.

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The following are some classic cookbooks by authors who may be holding signing events for the holidays. Check newspapers and websites, local restaurants and bookstores for dates and times.

In "Bistro Cooking at Home," chef-owner Gordon Hamersley lends the home cook a helping hand with an array of sophisticated options that’ll bring that bistro vibe home. With lots of stews, roasts and braises the book is packed with recipes that let the cook take a break from constantly tending the stove. His wife and partner Fiona adds non-snobby wine pairings so the home cook can recreate the whole Hamersley’s Bistro experience.

Every season brings a new book about meat, but "How to Cook Meat," from East Coast Grill’s founder and John "Doc" Willoughby, is the alpha and the omega. Its pages explore cuts, cooking, and doneness, as well the differences between buying at the butcher shop or the supermarket meat counter. No meat — beef, veal, lamb, and pork — is left untasted or untested.

If you’ve ever traveled to Ireland, or hope to, Cheffin’ by Brendan Cronin, chef and professor of hospitality studies, is a loving tour with food. The book chronicles his life growing up in a farmhouse on the west coast and his subsequent global kitchen travels. Interspersed with recipes, but not recipe driven.

Chef Jody Adams shares the recipes she cooks at home. In the Hands of a Chef starts at the supermarket or farm stand and including essential equipment, she gives the home cook an insight into the mind and means of a chef.

The first word on sustainable dining and the use of local, farm-fresh foods, chef Peter Davis could easily be the last word on the subject. Fresh & Honest includes recipes from the menus of Henrietta’s Table bring New England cuisine to life through a host of farmer and purveyor profiles.

For three decades Mary Ann Esposito has appeared on her delectable PBS show, Ciao Italia. Her 11th cookbook, "Ciao Italia Family Classics," offers her same thoughtful expertise. Mary Ann's rapport with her TV audience carries through in this latest volume.

In "The Elephant Walk Cookbook," chef Longteine de Monteiro, the wife of a diplomat forced into exile after Pol Pot invaded, shares her inspiring story as well as recipes in this introduction to Cambodian cuisine. The book leads the home cook through the award-winning dishes from the Elephant Walk restaurants in the Boston area.

Page 3 of 3 - Taking your cooking to the next level takes fearlessness. Tremont 647 chef-owner Andy Husbands offers gutsy guidance from the pages of his cookbook, "The Fearless Chef" so home cooks can explore the frontiers of American cuisine incorporating bold global flavors to spice up meals.

In "Kinkead's Cookbook," Bob Kinkead, chef-owner of Washington D.C.’s popular fish and seafood restaurant, Kinkead’s, and one of the two brothers behind Boston’s Sibling Rivalry, brings his unique style right to the home kitchen. Flavors balance sensibly in 120 internationally-inspired recipes. The book also includes tips for selecting and preparing fresh seafood.

Chef Jasper White, the man behind The Summer Shack restaurants in New England, blows the lid off the chowder pot with 50 recipes that go beyond corn and clam. "50 Chowders: One Pot Meals" tours the chowder basics — chunks of local seasonal ingredients served in a moderate amount of broth — offering a little guidance in creating chowders from unimagined ingredients.

Linda Bassett is the author of “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai: Neighborhood Cooking North of Boston.” Reach her by e-mail at KitchenCall@aol.com. Read Linda’s blog at LindABCooks.wordpress.com. Follow Linda for quick recipes on Twitter at @Kitchencall.